April 28, 2009

If I could only consume one source of meat for the rest of my days, it'd have to be chicken. It's so delicious and versatile. Roast it, poach it, bake it. Broil it, boil it, fry it. Ground it, shred it, dice it. Marinate it, rub it, sauce it. And so on, and so forth--the combinations are truly endless.

One ingredient I've never combined with chicken is nut butter, but I know it's a popular combination in many African and Thai dishes. Apparently it's popular in Spanish cuisine as well--I found a recipe on the Barney Butter site for Spanish Almond Chicken that certainly seemed worth a try.

This dish is a happy blend of chicken, carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and spinach dressed in a stellar sauce consisting of almond butter, saffron-infused sherry, and lemon juice. Another wonderful component is the mixture of herbs and spices--cloves and ginger, thyme and parsley. Saffron and sherry are not items I keep in my cabinets, but they ended up being well worth the investment--they added a depth of flavor that really made the dish something unique and completely fantastic.

If you like exotic flavors, I urge you to give this recipe a try. There are a lot of things going on at once, and they're all enjoyable. Nut butter and chicken are indeed a delightful duo.

yes squawk is a very interesting word, my hubby calls me sandy-squawks-alot sometimes, but then he's a man of few words... your description and pictures are inspiring me to defrost the lovely clucker I have been saving. must visit the barney butter site soon!